Beerlicious » India Brown Ale

Brie Burger and Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Stuart — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:44:44 +0000

It being Labor Day, and traditionally a cook-out kind of day, I decided to combine an old classic, a new twist, and something fantastic.

Burgers – who doesn’t like them? Brie – a cheese I have only recently discovered a liking for. And beer – the classic combo.

I went with the Indian Brown Ale from Dogfish Head, one of the best breweries in the world. Their IBA clocks in at 7.2% ABV, and is ranked as one of the best beers in the world on both major beer rating sites (95th percentile and A-, if you’re curious). The flavour is wonderfully layered, with hops, coffee, and caramel – almost like a caramel latte made with hops. It’s beautifully carbonated, with a gentle effervescence on the tongue. I wanted to know how this dangerously drinkable beer went with burgers and brie, so I kept it simple: bun, burger, a little ketchup, brie, and beer.

The malt sweetness and roastiness played off the caramelised surface of the burger. The hop bitterness contrasted nicely with the rich lushness of the brie. The combination – having the burger, brie, bun, and beer in the mouth at the same time – produced an explosive combination of flavours – coffee, chocolate, hop bitterness, beef sweetness, mushroomy creamy buttery extravagance from the brie.

Could you find a better pairing? Probably. But for me, on this nice September afternoon, this simple combination raised itself head and shoulders above the crowd into a memorable moment of beerliciousness.

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Beerlicious articles by Stuart Carter, stuart@beerlicious.net is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Terrapin India Brown Ale and Thirsty Dog Old Leghumper with chili

Stuart — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:29:02 +0000

This review helps to confirm my prejudices – Terrapin make mighty fine beers, and malty beers are just the best at pairing with red meat-based dishes.

Beef crockpot chili with Terrapin IBA is a good, but not outstanding pairing. If you have the beef in your mouth while taking a sip of the IBA, the hops’ bitterness can be overwhelming. If you have the chili stew base without meat, and take a sip, you get all the chewy malt richness instead. It is quite startling to get such different tastes from one beer! Unfortunately I can’t recommend this pairing, as the contrast is too jarring for me.

Old Leghumper is an American porter: dark, rich, coffee, caramel, very comforting and carb-laden. The pairing of the chili with the Old Leghumper is better than the pairing with the IBA: the coffee depth and maltiness play off superbly against the rich beef and chili sauce. It even works with the sour cream and cheddar with which I decorated my bowl of chili. Utterly brilliant pairing, highly recommended.

Terrapin India Brown and Rye Pale Ales With Pizza

Stuart — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:52:54 +0000

I am a fan of Terrapin beers. Their entire range is well worth a try if you have access to them – they are very individualistic, and not afraid to experiment. Their India Brown Ale is a very well executed version of this style: malty, hoppy, with faint coffee mocha overtones.

Sadly… this does not go well with pizza. The flavours clash horribly, producing a harsh hop bitterness which does not sit well on the tongue. I suspect that for those of you who are hopheads this could work well, but this is not for me. This made me sad, because I have had an outstanding pairing with the IBA – it goes extremely well with a leafy green salad with blue cheese dressing. My homework: have this with a pesto pizza!

Now, pizza with Terrapin Rye Pale Ale? Oh yeah… that’s the stuff! The hops come over as a refreshingly crisp *snap*, cleaning your palate and refreshing it for the next bite, while leaving a pleasing malt sweetness at the back of your mouth.

This is a combo you should seek out as soon as possible!

Terrapin Does It Right

Danner — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:13:30 +0000

More breweries should be doing this. I bought their mixed 12 pack today, opened it up, and what do I find inside? None other than a Food & Beer insert containing suggestions of food to pair with the beers.

Yes! More of this, please. Beer pairs with food better than wine, but the PR war needed to make the masses aware of this fact has barely begun. Garrett Oliver is doing what he can, but many more brewmasters need to be pushing the beauty of food and beer pairings. And wholesalers. Especially wholesalers, since they are the ones with the most frequent face time with retailers and restaurants.

Anyway, for your edification, here are the contents of that Terrapin insert. Good stuff:

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
Food: Can’t be too spicy… Jerk chicken, shrimp & grits or a classic reuben on rye.
Cheese: Gruyere or Manchego

Terrapin Golden Ale
Food: Wants crispy veggies and fresh fish on the grill after your great adventure.
Cheese: Herbed Chevres or Teleme

Terrapin Sunray Wheat
Food: Bratwurst, stone ground mustard and pretzels.
Cheese: Brie or Camembert

Terrapin India Brown Ale
Food: BBQ or anything that’s hittin’ the grill — pairs with spice, lime and cilantro with the best of ‘em.
Cheese: Aged Gouda or Dry Jack

All very basic and simple, but that’s exactly what a 12 pack insert calls for. Don’t intimidate anyone, or bore them. Just offer some useful information and get them thinking about how specific beers compliment specific foods. Bada bing.